Shovel handle



Oct. 9, 1928.

L. E. WEBSTER SHOVEL HANDLE Filed Nov. 27, 1926 avwcntoz 9 Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

OFFICE; I

LEWIS ammonia WEBSTER, .oF'wIL ns-nARRE. PENNSYLVANIA. t

'snovEL HANDLE.

Applicationfiled fiove nber 27, 1926. Serial No 151,176.

This invention relates to shovel handles and more particularly to metal D -shaped handles which have wooden grips, that is to say, a handle including. a sheetmetal. frame 6 secured to the shovel stem at its lower ends and having a wooden grip secured at'its' upper ends.

It is an object of the invent-ionto provide a handle of this kind which can bemuchmore' 10 economically. manufactured and whichwill,

atthe same time, have better'wearing qualities than the D-shap'ed metal handles heretofore provided. V V e F i To this end, the present invention, stated generally, contemplates the. provision of a handle, the frame of which is made of sheet metal parts which can be easily produced at small cost and can be easily and securely as sembled together and about the shovel stem and grip by unskilledlabor. It also-contemplates the provision of a wooden grip having the required curvature to conform to the handof the user and, at the same time, little, if'any, tendency to splinter or break even '25" under very rough usage. v

It further contemplates a handle so const-ructed that it may be assembled on the stem so that a definite relation exists between the handle and the'blade and so that this relation may be maintained accurately throughout the life of the shovel. v

In the accompanying drawingsj Figure l'is a front elevation of'the upper end of ashovel stem equipped with a handle tion; 7 I l I Figure 2 is a side view of thejstem and handle-shown in Fig. 1, with a portion cut away to show a section along the line 2 -52 ofv Fig. 1, to illustrate features of the invention;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the two main or side parts of the frame of the handle, the two parts being shownseparated before assembling;

Figure 4 is an end View in perspective of the improved grip;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectionofone of the twoferrules designed to be'connected with the ends of the grip and the tops of. the two v parts of the handle frame; s

Figure 6 is a section'on the line 66 of Fig. 3, showing'thcse parts of the frame which form the socket forthe shovel stem and also the flanges carried by these parts by which they are interlocked. I

Figure? is a similar view showing these embodying the features of the present'invensame parts assembled together with their flanges interlocked in final position;

Figure 81s a perspective view of a part of the stem showing the location of the key seat; and,

in making each half of the handle frame. Referring to the drawings, two blanks'l,

such as shown in Fig. 9, are stamped or otherwise cut from sheet metal, each of such a widthas to be approximately half the circumference of theshovel stem. isthen curved in suitable dies'to conform to the curvature of the shovel stem and each is provided with'openings 2, 3, for rivets by which the two parts are preferably secured to thefshovel stem. I The upper portion of the blank 1 is formed to a Width slightly greater than the width of the finished handle so that a portion of the metal of each side may be turned in "to provide reinforcement. The lower part of each blank is provided with a flange 4:, more particularly hereinafter referred to. 1 Preferably each blank is further reinforced by suitable ribs 5 (Fig. 2) formed by means of dies.

- Referring to F igs. 3,6 and 7, the flange l of the part 6 is inwardly die-formed to constitute a single hook and flange 4? of the part 7 is inwardly and then outwardly formed to constitute a double hook for receiving the flange 4 of the part 6. halves are located with their flanges one within the otherv and placed in anassembling die where the upper part of the frame or D is 5 absolutely true and square with the interlocked flanges. Thedie then interlocks the two parts 6 and 7 to form a socket forthe reception of the shovel stem. The resulting socket. is interlocked in such a manner that there are providedfour thicknesses of material along the line which receives the great est strain when the shovel is'subjected to heavy prying and twisting, that is, the front Then these two so I Figure 9 1s a plan view of the blank used 1 Each blank of the shovel. Also, the fact that the opposite endsof the socket are slightly separated, as at 8, secures adjustabilit'y for different size stems and also allows for shrinkage and expansion'in the stem under various weather conditions. i

It is to be noted that theinterlocking flanges, when suitably pressed together, present a smooth exterior surface and project.

inwardly in the socket to a depth of three thicknesses of socketmaterial. This projection of material is taken advantage. of to form a key 9 which, in conjunction with a key that under working conditions the handle may not be rotated about the stem. Furthen more, the provision of this key relieves the usual strain on rivets 12 and 13 which thus are only required to perform the function of holding the-stem and handle together.

When the stems orshovel handles are manufactured they can be key-seated in perfect relation by means of the key, 9 so that the handles will always be true with the shovel blade and in balance, and, when the shovels are put into heavy use, this key-seat will take care of the twist and strains and, further, will relieve the rivets 12 and 13, the heads of which are liable to be sheared off or {he rivets stretched or bent.

The grip 14 is preferably made of wellseasoned hard wood suitably shaped on its ly, forming a metal-to-rjnetal contact.

surface for convenient gripping by the hand. To thisencL-the grip will be machined perfectly smooth with the proper curvature to make a perfect bearing in the hollow of the users hand. The ends of the grip are mortised vertically, as at 15, for the reception of the upper ends; 16 of the frame parts 6, 7 (Fig. 4). This prevents rotation of the grip relatively to the frame.

The grip is permanently secured to the frame'parts 6, 7, by a rivet 17 which passes through the openings 18 in theupper ends of the frame parts and through a longitudinal opening 19 in the grip. Ferrules 20, provided at each end of the grip, have like openings 21 through which therivet 17 passes. These ferrules 20 fully encase the ends of the grip, covering up the rivet heads and acting as a handguard. For the reception of the ferrules, the grip is counterbored at its ends so as to provide at each end an annular projection 22, best shown in Fig. 4. Each ferrule 20 is countersunk at its center for the reception of the head'of rivet 17 and is provided With an annular recess 23 which conforms to and fits snugly over the projection 22.

A seat 24 for the lower portion of the ferrule may be provided in the frame parts 6, 7, by stamping. The curvature of this seat will preferably conform to the curvature of the ferrule so that the latter will seat snug- The strains arising in the frame parts will there fore be taken directly by the ferrule instead of by the wooden grip. As before stated, the ferrule, therefore, not only performs the function of covering up the rivet heads and relieving the strains on the grip, but also provides a smooth handguard, being of such a shape as to feel most pleasant to the workmans hand. I 7

As before indicated, all the frame parts and also'the ferrules are preferably made of the'substitution of new for worn orbroken sheet metal suitably formed, by means of dies, to the desired shapes, and the assembling of these parts together and on the shovel stem is a very simple matter capableof being readily performed by unskilled labor.

The result is a saving in the cost of production both as to material cost and labor cost. Since the frame parts and ferrules are made from sheet metal, stamped and die-formed tothe desired shapes and sizes, they have the 7 advantage of being readily interchangeable. This not only makes their assemblage easy but also renders easy repairs to the shovel by parts.

What I claim is V 1. A shovel handle comprising a stem, a frame, a longitudinal slot in said stem, and a key in said socket portion coacting with said slot to prevent movement between the stein and socket. V I

2. A shovel handle comprising a stem, a frame having a socket portion into which said stem extends, a slot in said stem, and a key in said socket portion coacting with the slot to prevent relative movement between the stem and socket. r J i 3. A shovel handle comprising astem, a two-part frame, interlocking flanges forsecuring the parts together and constituting a key, and a coacting key seat in said. stem whereby relative rotation of -thestem and socket is prevented.

4. A shovel handle comprising .a two-part metal frame interlocking flanges for secur- 10o ing the parts together, said flanges being so related as to present at least fourthicknesses of metal along the line of maximum strain, said interlocked flanges also constituting a metal key. 7 I v 5. A shovel handle comprising a stem, a two-part metal frame, interlocking flanges for securing the parts together said flanges being so formed as to present four'thicknesses of metal along the line joining the parts and 1m constituting a key, and a coactingkey seat in said stem. 4

6. A handlecomprising a metal frame having two parts each consisting of a yoke arm and a half socket portion, means to interlock Ila the socket portions of said parts along at least one pair of their adjacentedges to form a complete socket said means comprising inwardly and outwardly extending. flanges formed in a die so that the seam so made 12h presents a smooth exterior surface, and'an inward projection of several thicknesses of metal. A

7. A handle comprising a frame having two parts, similarly located flanges on said 12! ing clamped together to present'a smooth 13o exteriorsurface, and an inwardly extending ferrules conforming to said annular projeckey. hens and having countersunk rivet-receiving 8. A shovel handle comprising a two-part oenter portions,. said frame members being 10 frame, upwardly extending frame members, formed to provide seats for the ferrules.

5 a grip located between said frame members, In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set said grip being provided with endwise annumy hand. i lar projections and having cut away portions, LEWIS EDMOND WEBSTER. 

